Nursing On the Cutting Edge of Neonatal Resuscitation Research

September 15, 2017

Intubation, the process of inserting a tube (endotracheal tube) through the mouth
and then into the airway. This is done so that a patient can be placed on a ventilator to
assist with breathing during anesthesia, sedation, or severe illness. All neonates
require intubation at birth.

With approximately 400,000 neonates born each year in the U.S., it is crucial that
all medical personnel involved in caring for these babies realize that this lifesaving
procedure can cause life threatening damage if performed improperly. Special care
must be taken while intubating a neonate, or infant, due to the small size of their
trachea. Using too much force or torque can lead to injury, which can then lead to
longer hospital stays.

Dr. Paula McWilliam and Instructor Narra Martineau of the Franklin Pierce University
Nursing Department made it their mission to study resuscitation and the causes, effects
and prevention of airway trauma secondary to endotracheal intubation. This is all
thanks to an IDeA Networks of Biomedical Research Excellence Award (INBRE) they received
in July of 2017.

The research study took place at the Geisel School of Medicine Laboratory at Dartmouth
Medical School and provided Rayann Gionet, a Franklin Pierce undergraduate nursing
student an experiential learning opportunity in biomedical technology devices and
data analysis. In addition, they have been invited to Stanford University to conduct
further research on neonatal intubation in September of 2017, and Rayann will be joining
both Dr. McWilliam and Intructor Martineau as a research assistant to this study.
This additional opportunity was made possible through the Franklin Pierce University
Provost Travel Grant.